What is Exegesis?

• The term “exegesis” is a loan-word from Greek (ἐκ [ek] “out” + ἡγέομαι [hēgeomai] “I lead”), meaning “to lead out.” Although it may sound unfamiliar, it simply refers to the discipline of studying to get meaning out of a text. Many find it helpful to contrast exegesis with “eisegesis” (a neologism, where the preposition ἐκ [ek] “out” is replaced with the preposition εἰς [eis] “into”). While exegesis strives to have meaning come from the text, eisegesis is reading meaning into the text. People generally don’t strive to do eisegesis; it is a result of poor exegesis.
  
  Following a set of clear steps can help you examine your text from multiple angles and avoid overlooking key issues. However, exegesis is only part science (orderly, yielding predictable results). It is also an art, inviting you to synthesize the data into an interpretation and application.

A Modern Parable on the Exegetical Process

• “The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz”
  • This classic short story is an insightful illustration of the type of close observation that is fundamental to the task of exegesis. Louis Agassiz was a renowned professor of zoology and geology at Harvard. This story was written by one of his students, Samuel H. Scudder.

Choosing a Translation

• Unless otherwise directed, use a more literal translation such as the New American Standard Bible or the New Revised Standard Version. This will be your base text, although you may have reason to compare translations (unless you have some knowledge of biblical languages, some caution should be exercised).

Translating Your Passage

• If you are able, you are encouraged to provide an original translation of your passage. This is not because other translations are deficient. Translating the passage for yourself can be a helpful exercise by forcing you to critically consider each word and phrase of your passage.

Formatting

• The first section of your paper should be the entire biblical text you are using. Be sure to format it properly. If you copied the text from a website you may need to change the font and remove hyperlinks. If your passage is poetry you will need to make sure it is presented in versified form.

Your Thesis

• The goal of writing an exegesis paper is simply to understand the meaning of a text. The introduction of your paper should grab the reader’s attention and clearly state what you think your passage means. Everything that follows in your paper should serve to support your thesis statement.
  
  Here are some general tips on writing a good thesis statement:
  • Your thesis statement should be concise
  • Your thesis statement should come at the end of your introduction
  • Your thesis statement should make a claim/argument
  • You may need to revise your thesis statement as you do more research

[≈ 5% of your paper]

Literary Context

• You will need to consider the overall context of the book you are using. Consider addressing some of the following questions:
  • What genre is the book where your passage is located? (Gospel, Epistle, Prophetic, Narrative, etc.)
  • What is the overall structure of the book?
  • How does your passage fit within the overall structure?
  • Do you need to address issues of authorship?

• You will also need to pay close attention to the passages immediately surrounding your own. How does your passage relate?

• The Bible is not a series of propositions (excepting some of Proverbs), but it is comprised of stories, letters, songs and more. A crucial part of exegesis is analyzing your text as the literature it is.

Historical Context

• Not only was the Bible given to us as literature, it is also the product of real people in real historical circumstances. You will need to understand these realities to do good exegesis. However, be careful you do not mistakenly turn your exegesis paper into a history paper. Try to always ask: “How does this help me understand my passage?” If it doesn’t or is relatively insignificant, it probably doesn’t belong in your paper.

• Here are four areas you may consider investigating:
  • Political: Who held political power during the period of time that your text addresses? If necessary, sketch the political background of the international and domestic scenes.
  • Economic: What was the economic climate like during the time of your passage? Was it a time of prosperity or famine?
  • Social: What social groups are significant to your passage, and what were they like at the time? Was there widespread social injustice at the time?
  • Religious: What was the religious atmosphere? Was there influence from other religious worldviews at the time?

[≈ 20% of your paper]

Your Commentary

• In this section you will want to work verse-by-verse through your passage, analyzing every relevant detail. In a sense, this section is where you “prove” your thesis statement. The work you do in this section should also lay the groundwork for the section on theology later.

Word Studies

• Word studies can be a helpful way to gain new insights into your passage. A good word study will consist of three separate steps:
  • Discover the original Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic term used in your passage
  • Look up other passages which use the same term and compare/contrast
  • Consult some of the major theological dictionaries that discuss your term
• Use this separate guide on conducting a word study.

Formal Analysis

• In the section on literary analysis, above, you should have discussed the genre of the book where your passage is found. Formal analysis is similar, but on a smaller scale. Here you are looking at the form of the particular passage, rather than the genre of the whole book.

• For example, the genre of the book of Isaiah is prophetic, while your passage’s form may be a judgment speech or woe oracle. Similarly, the genre of Matthew is Gospel, while your passage’s form may be a parable. Be advised that some scholars may disagree on this issue.

Biblical Poetry

• About 1/3 of the Bible is poetry, which presents its own issues for interpretation. It may be appropriate to comment on poetic features of your text in this section.

[≈ 50% of your paper]

Overview

• This section of exegesis is more difficult to define. It can vary widely from paper to paper, depending on the passage selected for exegesis. Additionally, there may be significant overlap between this section and your detailed analysis. In general, there are two major considerations:

Theology of Your Passage

• First, limit your discussion to the passage you are analyzing. You’ve already done a lot working through the context and details of your passage. Now you will need to summarize what your passage means. Here are some questions to help you start thinking:
  • What does it mean?
  • What does it teach us about God?
  • Does your passage point to God’s love? His justice? His role as creator? His patience with obstinate people? His impatience with prideful people?

• Hopefully, the claims you make in this section are well-supported by the previous sections of your paper (especially the Detailed Analysis).

Biblical Theology

• The next step is to compare your text to other passages in the Bible. Begin with an investigation of other texts within the Testament of your passage (if your passage is in the Old Testament, start with examining other Old Testament passages, and vice versa). Your previous research in word studies should help you know what passages to consider.

• Look for texts that contain similar theological ideas as well as texts that contain contrasting ideas. For instance, some passages might teach about how God has no tolerance for sin and injustice (think about Lot’s wife, Ananias and Sapphira, or Uzzah). However, there are many passages that show God as patient and gracious (think about how he relented from punishment against Hezekiah, or his patience with David, or the conversion of Paul in the New Testament). The goal is to see how your passage fits within a balanced biblical theology.

• Also, you should consider key passages to which your passage alludes. Are you working in a Psalm that describes God’s work as creator? Then you may want to consider what Genesis 1 has to say. Are you working in an Epistle that makes reference to the work of Christ on the cross? Then you should probably read through the accounts of the crucifixion in the Gospels. Be careful that you do not make the assumption that the other passage necessarily was written first. In the case of the Gospels they were likely written after the Epistles.

[≈ 20% of your paper]

• This section will conclude your paper and offer a brief application of your passage. Summarize your findings and restate your thesis. If your study raised new questions, state those areas which would benefit from further research.

• Avoid vague or overly general applications and try to be specific in how your passage specifically applies today.

[≈ 5% of your paper]

• Include a bibliography at the end of your paper of every source that you used in your research.

• Note, the Bible does not need to be included in the Bibliography. However, when quoting the Bible in your paper, you should use the standard abbreviation for the version you are using (e.g. NIV, NASB, NRSV, etc.).

• Be sure to properly format your bibliography.

• Include a one-page sermon outline at the end of your paper.

• Use your thesis statement to help you focus your outline.

• Include brief references to any illustrations that you plan to use in your sermon.